The Broken Record Technique
Encyclopedia
The Broken Record Technique is a collection of short stories by Canadian author Lee Henderson
. It was first published by Penguin
Canada in 2002, and contains ten short stories. The tenth story, entitled simply "W", is considerably longer than the rest, standing at one hundred pages. The average for the other stories is a little over ten pages each. This was Lee Henderson's first book, and contained some previously published short stories, one of which, "Sheep Dub" was part of the 2000 Journey Prize
Anthology.
The short stories within the book are not connected, but recognizably follow the same quirkiness that gives the collection its charm. The opening story "Attempts at a Great Relationship" describes a young man who lives through five possible scenarios at the new wave-pool with his wife, searching for the one that would save his marriage. "The Unfortunate" tells the heart-breaking story a boy born with a football-shaped head. In "The Runner after John Cheever" a man takes an unusual marathon
in memory of his dead lover. These unusual plots and locales give The Broken Record Technique its unique charm and appeal.
The book takes its odd name from a work by Edmund J. Bourne titles "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook". In this work, the Broken Record Technique is a form of calm persistent repetition that allows the user to eventually achieve what they want. The author specifically warns against the use of this technique in close relationships.
Lee Henderson
Lee Henderson is a Canadian writer, the author of The Broken Record Technique and The Man Game . The Broken Record Technique won the 2003 Danuta Gleed Literary Award, which recognizes a first collection of short fiction by a Canadian author writing in English...
. It was first published by Penguin
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
Canada in 2002, and contains ten short stories. The tenth story, entitled simply "W", is considerably longer than the rest, standing at one hundred pages. The average for the other stories is a little over ten pages each. This was Lee Henderson's first book, and contained some previously published short stories, one of which, "Sheep Dub" was part of the 2000 Journey Prize
Journey Prize
The Journey Prize is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by McClelland and Stewart and the Writers' Trust of Canada for the best short story published by an emerging writer in a Canadian literary magazine. The award was endowed by James A...
Anthology.
The short stories within the book are not connected, but recognizably follow the same quirkiness that gives the collection its charm. The opening story "Attempts at a Great Relationship" describes a young man who lives through five possible scenarios at the new wave-pool with his wife, searching for the one that would save his marriage. "The Unfortunate" tells the heart-breaking story a boy born with a football-shaped head. In "The Runner after John Cheever" a man takes an unusual marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
in memory of his dead lover. These unusual plots and locales give The Broken Record Technique its unique charm and appeal.
The book takes its odd name from a work by Edmund J. Bourne titles "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook". In this work, the Broken Record Technique is a form of calm persistent repetition that allows the user to eventually achieve what they want. The author specifically warns against the use of this technique in close relationships.
Contents
- Attempts at a Great Relationship
- Mirage/Fata Morgana
- Spines a Length of Velcro
- Shaved Temple
- Sheep Dub
- Any Number of Reasons to Act as One Does, Under the Circumstances
- The Runner after John Cheever
- The Unfortunate
- Highlights From the Young Boy vs The Ram